Zhirayr Sefilyan: Generals were flattering Serzh Sargsyan and Arthur Aghabekyan was praising Sashik (video)
Artsakh President Bako Sahakyan has confessed that they have been dreaming to join the Eurasian Economic Union for many years, Karabakh war veteran Zhirayr Sefilyan told reporters in Yerevan on February 11. “We were saddened to hear the words from a person who heads the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and for whom many people have shed their blood. They were troubled that Armenia was able to accede to EEU while Karabakh could not, and now they are looking for ways to fulfill their dream,” said Zhirayr Sefilyan. Before last month’s incident in Berdzor when scores of activists representing the Founding Parliament opposition group were confronted by NKR police as well as a group of plainclothes men during an automobile march to Artsakh, Zhirayr Sefilyan met with senior officials in Stepanakert. He says he was deeply disappointed with the meeting which was attended by the Prosecutor General, Head of the National Security Service and Deputy Minister of Artsakh. During the meeting, Zhirayr Sefilyan and Emil Abrahamyan, another member of the Founding Parliament, became convinced that they ‘are dealing with a government that does not demonstrate an appropriate position.’ “The generals sitting in front of us were flattering Serzh Sargsyan. Deputy Prime Minister of NKR Arthur Aghabekyan was overtly praising Sashik [Serzh Sargsyan’s brother],” said Mr Sefilyan. He says the people in Artsakh have no connection with the January 31 violence. “Many will try to use this incident and drive a wedge between Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic but I would advise everyone to avoid such attempts,” he said. On January 31, scores of activists representing the Founding Parliament opposition movement, a successor of the Pre-parliament pressure group, organized an automobile march to Nagorno-Karabakh as part of their campaign seeking a regime change in Armenia. Near Berdzor, they were stopped by local police and a group of plainclothes men who forcefully blocked their access to the territory of Karabakh. A number of activists, including Jirayr Sefilyan, a Karabakh war veteran and a former commander of the Shushi special detachment, were beaten up during the incident. Also, some vehicles of the automobile march were damaged.
